Synchronized thoracoabdominal and arterial pressure measurement during CPR in fresh-frozen human cadavers

Measurement of pressure transmission during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is limited in living patients. During cardiac arrest care, the priority is immediate life-saving treatment, making additional invasive monitoring across multiple pressure compartments challenging. Published cadaveric CPR models vary in preparation methods, instrumentation, compression technique, and reporting detail, which limits reproducibility and comparison across studies. This article describes a fresh-frozen human cadaver method for studying thoracoabdominal pressure transmission during prone and supine mechanical CPR. The method used a within-specimen, counterbalanced crossover design in which two thawed fresh-frozen donors underwent standardized mechanical compressions in prone and supine positions. Synchronized pressure monitoring was used to capture intra-abdominal pressure, intrathoracic pressure, and arterial pressure during each compression cycle. A modified vascular declotting procedure was incorporated with the intention of reducing clot burden and supporting arterial pressure monitoring in thawed fresh-frozen donors. The methodology focuses on protocolization, invasive instrumentation, compression-trial structure, and reproducible documentation rather than comparative physiologic results. This protocol is intended to make a difficult mechanistic question measurable and support replication in future cadaveric CPR studies. A within-specimen prone-supine crossover design in human cadavers to study CPR pressure transmission. Synchronized abdominal, thoracic, and arterial pressure waveforms during compression cycles.